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Lethbridge-Stewart #3.1
Lethbridge-Stewart: Times Squared
When Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart, his fiancee Sally Wright and nephew Owain Vine embark on a much-needed holiday in New York City, the last thing they expect to find is a puzzling mystery involving coma patients, a stranger from a distant land and a dark menace lurking in the bowels of the city's labyrinthine subway system.
Before long, they're battling an ancient evil pursuing a deadly campaign of terror that could bring Manhattan under its control... and the world to its knees.
Before long, they're battling an ancient evil pursuing a deadly campaign of terror that could bring Manhattan under its control... and the world to its knees.
- GenresDoctor Who
288 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2016
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48 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 21, 2016
The Brigadier has a much needed holiday after his recent adventures so he takes fiancee Sally and nephew Owain to visit New York. Upon arrival they quickly become embroiled in an alien plot- the Great Intelligence is back and Yeti are in the New York Subway.
This certainly made for an interesting change to the series. Previously we've had what are essentially UNIT stories but with the Brigadier technically off-duty here and in the USA it has a rather different style. He's well out of his comfort zone and I like that. Sally has a bigger role here than in previous books as she is properly involved with the adventure.
I did have a lot of issues with this though. Essentially it's The Web of Fear but in New York. The author has changed a few things to make it a little more interesting, notably stripping some of the Yeti of their fur and adding lots of essentially rabid rats. The plot itself is different but it's still the Great Intelligence doing the same sort of evil stuff again.
I also felt that the book could have been shorter considering how little plot there is. There seems to be a lot of long descriptions of lots of rats approaching people which gets a bit samey after a while. Then there's the problem that this has to fit with the Great Intelligence's ever more complicated continuity- and the author even throws a time-traveling Professor Travers into the mix too. It feels like half the book is dedicated to explaining how it fits in with Doctor Who and Lethbridge-Stewart: The Forgotten Son and I still feel a bit confused.
That said, I enjoyed plenty of bits of this book. There's an interesting character in Kramer and I'm tempted to seek out the book she originally appeared in. The rats are a really good idea and certainly creepy, it's just a shame they are overused. Owain gets a much bigger part then he's had for a while and the author really plays around with his connection to the Great Intelligence. He's great here and I am intrigued to see how he will play out in future books.
It's not the best Lethbridge-Stewart book by any stretch but I still enjoyed it. The idea of the Brigadier in New York is as awesome as it sounds!
This certainly made for an interesting change to the series. Previously we've had what are essentially UNIT stories but with the Brigadier technically off-duty here and in the USA it has a rather different style. He's well out of his comfort zone and I like that. Sally has a bigger role here than in previous books as she is properly involved with the adventure.
I did have a lot of issues with this though. Essentially it's The Web of Fear but in New York. The author has changed a few things to make it a little more interesting, notably stripping some of the Yeti of their fur and adding lots of essentially rabid rats. The plot itself is different but it's still the Great Intelligence doing the same sort of evil stuff again.
I also felt that the book could have been shorter considering how little plot there is. There seems to be a lot of long descriptions of lots of rats approaching people which gets a bit samey after a while. Then there's the problem that this has to fit with the Great Intelligence's ever more complicated continuity- and the author even throws a time-traveling Professor Travers into the mix too. It feels like half the book is dedicated to explaining how it fits in with Doctor Who and Lethbridge-Stewart: The Forgotten Son and I still feel a bit confused.
That said, I enjoyed plenty of bits of this book. There's an interesting character in Kramer and I'm tempted to seek out the book she originally appeared in. The rats are a really good idea and certainly creepy, it's just a shame they are overused. Owain gets a much bigger part then he's had for a while and the author really plays around with his connection to the Great Intelligence. He's great here and I am intrigued to see how he will play out in future books.
It's not the best Lethbridge-Stewart book by any stretch but I still enjoyed it. The idea of the Brigadier in New York is as awesome as it sounds!
December 12, 2016
Another enthralling entry into the Lethbridge-Stewart line, once the action starts it doesn't let up. Cross exhibits a nice handle on writing action scenes and at times channels Stephen King with creepy images of rats surging up from flooded New York subway lines. The plot is a little standard for what we've come to expect from the Great Intelligence, but it's still handled well. Our band of heroes all have moments of awesome, and it's an all-around solid book. Full (spoiler filled) reviews available at www.travelingthevortex.com
February 12, 2017
Since its inception back in 2015, the Lethbridge-Stewart range of novels from Candy Jar books has been bringing that iconic Doctor Who character back to life in an ever increasing series of adventures. Even heroes though need a rest every now and then so it's no surprise that eventual the once and future Brigadier, his fiance, and nephew might set out for some R&R. Yet Rick Cross' Times Squared, which kicks off the third set of books, shows what happens to the best laid plans of rats and the Great Intelligence.
As the novel's cover suggests, this is another return engagement with the Great Intelligence and its robotic minions the Yeti. For those expecting a rehashing of The Web Of Fear in a new location, never fret. Cross explores one of the unexplored avenues behind them: just who built the Yeti anyway? That question, and its answer, is at the heart of this entry. Cross also introduces a new and particularly gruesome addition of rats to the Great Intelligence's arsenal which is likely to give many readers (this one included) a shiver or two. As a result, the book follows in the tradition of taking a classic Doctor Who monster and expanding upon it.
Which isn't to say that, if you go into the novel expecting Yeti action and somewhere under siege, you'll be disappointed. Indeed, if The Web Of Fear had ever gotten a big-budget Hollywood sequel, Times Squared would have been it. Perhaps more than the other entries into the series that I've read to date, this one seems to play out on a bigger canvas and it isn't quite content in capturing that almost quaint feeling that fans familiar with what's termed Classic Who are familiar with. It isn't just a subway system or a small part of New York City under threat here and Cross plays that to the hilt with remarkable pieces of imagery that make this feel like a big summer blockbuster. All of which helps to make this a nice read.
It also helps that the characters read right. The real test for any tie-in or spin-off work is “Can I hear/imagine a character doing this?” and throughout one can hear and see Nicholas Courtney in the mind's eye in the Big Apple under siege. Yet when the Brig needs out of action mode, he's utterly believable as well and it's a credit to both character and Cross as a writer that he captures Lethbridge-Stewart so well. The novel also gives Sally a sizable role and readers familiar with the series will enjoy a couple of series regulars getting to do some interesting things with one of them ending up in a very interesting situation indeed. Long-time Who readers will likely enjoy seeing a character from a previous American set Who adventure getting to make her first chronological appearance here as a nice addition to the tale.
If you're a fan of Classic Who or a follower of the Lethbridge-Stewart range, this is a book for you. It's a ripping yarn that takes the Brigadier and the Great Intelligence and drops them firmly into a blockbuster movie though one that has plot as well as action. For those wanting a good Who based read, you could do a lot worse that gives Times Squared a visit.
As the novel's cover suggests, this is another return engagement with the Great Intelligence and its robotic minions the Yeti. For those expecting a rehashing of The Web Of Fear in a new location, never fret. Cross explores one of the unexplored avenues behind them: just who built the Yeti anyway? That question, and its answer, is at the heart of this entry. Cross also introduces a new and particularly gruesome addition of rats to the Great Intelligence's arsenal which is likely to give many readers (this one included) a shiver or two. As a result, the book follows in the tradition of taking a classic Doctor Who monster and expanding upon it.
Which isn't to say that, if you go into the novel expecting Yeti action and somewhere under siege, you'll be disappointed. Indeed, if The Web Of Fear had ever gotten a big-budget Hollywood sequel, Times Squared would have been it. Perhaps more than the other entries into the series that I've read to date, this one seems to play out on a bigger canvas and it isn't quite content in capturing that almost quaint feeling that fans familiar with what's termed Classic Who are familiar with. It isn't just a subway system or a small part of New York City under threat here and Cross plays that to the hilt with remarkable pieces of imagery that make this feel like a big summer blockbuster. All of which helps to make this a nice read.
It also helps that the characters read right. The real test for any tie-in or spin-off work is “Can I hear/imagine a character doing this?” and throughout one can hear and see Nicholas Courtney in the mind's eye in the Big Apple under siege. Yet when the Brig needs out of action mode, he's utterly believable as well and it's a credit to both character and Cross as a writer that he captures Lethbridge-Stewart so well. The novel also gives Sally a sizable role and readers familiar with the series will enjoy a couple of series regulars getting to do some interesting things with one of them ending up in a very interesting situation indeed. Long-time Who readers will likely enjoy seeing a character from a previous American set Who adventure getting to make her first chronological appearance here as a nice addition to the tale.
If you're a fan of Classic Who or a follower of the Lethbridge-Stewart range, this is a book for you. It's a ripping yarn that takes the Brigadier and the Great Intelligence and drops them firmly into a blockbuster movie though one that has plot as well as action. For those wanting a good Who based read, you could do a lot worse that gives Times Squared a visit.
November 13, 2016
Excellent addition to the series by a new writer.
Found the book difficult to put down and the ending promises much more excitement as plans are made in the background.
A promising start to the third series!
Found the book difficult to put down and the ending promises much more excitement as plans are made in the background.
A promising start to the third series!
November 2, 2021
Thanks to Shaun, Will and Keren at Candy Jar for a review copy.
‘Times Squared’ is the first book in the third season of Lethbridge Stewart novels. It is the second book in the series so far (after ‘The Forgotten Son’) to feature The Great Intelligence, a mysterious formless entity who forms the main opponent for the Second Doctor in the TV stories ‘The Abominable Snowmen’ and ‘The Web of Fear’. This being also comes up against the Doctor in the new series TV stories ‘The Snowmen,’ ‘The Bells of Saint John’ and ‘The Name of the Doctor’.
The novel sees the Brigadier with his fiancée Sally Wright and nephew Owain Vine heading to New York for a well-deserved holiday only to find that The Intelligence is planning another attack, not dissimilar from its assault on the London Underground in ‘The Web of Fear’. In fact these two stories are very similar in scope, in each The Intelligence uses an unwitting dupe to carry out its plans and both involve Yeti attacking the underground system, though here infected rats are used as the secondary weapon instead of a glowing web.
I wonder if the author was asked to work certain events and characters into his story in order to seed future tales. For example we meet a younger Professor Travers who is brought into this story straight after he said goodbye to the Doctor at the end of ‘The Abominable Snowmen’; his story continues in two novellas from Candy Jar. Owain also meets a young man who appears very conveniently at a moment of need and whose intervention, I am sure, will have consequences in later books.
This is a very different book from those in the second season. At some points it reads more like a James Herbert horror story than a Lethbridge-Stewart novel with infected rats charging through the underground overwhelming any in their path. It didn’t really have the feel, to me at least, of a Lethbridge-Stewart story – rather it was a story in which a character with his name happened to be involved.
The character of the Brigadier in this story doesn’t seem quite right to me. For one thing he seemed to revel in violence, particularly against animals, which does not fit in with his usual behaviour. Whilst he is certainly ready to use violence when he has to do so, both in the TV series and the earlier books, he never takes pleasure in it. This detracted from my enjoyment of the novel considerably and I was glad when the Brigadier was reminded that ‘all things serve the universal good’. I also felt it was the plot was a little thin for the page count and would have preferred to see some more scenes set in Jemba Wa’s earlier life rather than just reading about yet another Yeti or rat attack.
We meet a UN security officer called Adrienne Kramer who later appears in an Eighth Doctor novel called ‘Vampire Science’. Whether that was a nice touch or over enthusiastic fandom making links between stories unnecessarily is a matter of opinion. It is a long time since I read the Eighth Doctor novels and I didn’t remember that Adrienne was in ‘Vampire Science’ until I read the author’s note at the end of ‘Times Squared’.
In short I must confess that whilst I was interested in the outcome of the story I became less enamoured of the book as it went on and was glad to finish it.
The novel refers extensively to past events both in the Lethbridge-Stewart stories and in Doctor Who. The only Lethbridge-Stewart book which needs to be read prior to this is ‘The Forgotten Son’ by Andy Frankham-Allen. Both ‘The Abominable Snowmen’ and ‘The Web of Fear’ are extensively referenced – the former has only one episode surviving which is available on the BBC DVD set ‘Lost in Time’. Rumour has it however that the missing episodes will soon be animated. Five of the six episodes of ‘The Web of Fear’ are in the archive and the missing one has been animated so the whole story can be enjoyed on DVD or Blu Ray. Novelisations of both stories are available as second hand paperbacks or audiobooks. The Eighth Doctor Novel ‘Vampire Science’ by Jonathan Blum and Kate Orman features Adrienne at a later point in her life but there is no requirement to have any knowledge of this to fully understand ‘Times Squared’. If the reader is keen to find it however then it is often available on ebay at around the £30 mark.
‘Times Squared’ is the first book in the third season of Lethbridge Stewart novels. It is the second book in the series so far (after ‘The Forgotten Son’) to feature The Great Intelligence, a mysterious formless entity who forms the main opponent for the Second Doctor in the TV stories ‘The Abominable Snowmen’ and ‘The Web of Fear’. This being also comes up against the Doctor in the new series TV stories ‘The Snowmen,’ ‘The Bells of Saint John’ and ‘The Name of the Doctor’.
The novel sees the Brigadier with his fiancée Sally Wright and nephew Owain Vine heading to New York for a well-deserved holiday only to find that The Intelligence is planning another attack, not dissimilar from its assault on the London Underground in ‘The Web of Fear’. In fact these two stories are very similar in scope, in each The Intelligence uses an unwitting dupe to carry out its plans and both involve Yeti attacking the underground system, though here infected rats are used as the secondary weapon instead of a glowing web.
I wonder if the author was asked to work certain events and characters into his story in order to seed future tales. For example we meet a younger Professor Travers who is brought into this story straight after he said goodbye to the Doctor at the end of ‘The Abominable Snowmen’; his story continues in two novellas from Candy Jar. Owain also meets a young man who appears very conveniently at a moment of need and whose intervention, I am sure, will have consequences in later books.
This is a very different book from those in the second season. At some points it reads more like a James Herbert horror story than a Lethbridge-Stewart novel with infected rats charging through the underground overwhelming any in their path. It didn’t really have the feel, to me at least, of a Lethbridge-Stewart story – rather it was a story in which a character with his name happened to be involved.
The character of the Brigadier in this story doesn’t seem quite right to me. For one thing he seemed to revel in violence, particularly against animals, which does not fit in with his usual behaviour. Whilst he is certainly ready to use violence when he has to do so, both in the TV series and the earlier books, he never takes pleasure in it. This detracted from my enjoyment of the novel considerably and I was glad when the Brigadier was reminded that ‘all things serve the universal good’. I also felt it was the plot was a little thin for the page count and would have preferred to see some more scenes set in Jemba Wa’s earlier life rather than just reading about yet another Yeti or rat attack.
We meet a UN security officer called Adrienne Kramer who later appears in an Eighth Doctor novel called ‘Vampire Science’. Whether that was a nice touch or over enthusiastic fandom making links between stories unnecessarily is a matter of opinion. It is a long time since I read the Eighth Doctor novels and I didn’t remember that Adrienne was in ‘Vampire Science’ until I read the author’s note at the end of ‘Times Squared’.
In short I must confess that whilst I was interested in the outcome of the story I became less enamoured of the book as it went on and was glad to finish it.
The novel refers extensively to past events both in the Lethbridge-Stewart stories and in Doctor Who. The only Lethbridge-Stewart book which needs to be read prior to this is ‘The Forgotten Son’ by Andy Frankham-Allen. Both ‘The Abominable Snowmen’ and ‘The Web of Fear’ are extensively referenced – the former has only one episode surviving which is available on the BBC DVD set ‘Lost in Time’. Rumour has it however that the missing episodes will soon be animated. Five of the six episodes of ‘The Web of Fear’ are in the archive and the missing one has been animated so the whole story can be enjoyed on DVD or Blu Ray. Novelisations of both stories are available as second hand paperbacks or audiobooks. The Eighth Doctor Novel ‘Vampire Science’ by Jonathan Blum and Kate Orman features Adrienne at a later point in her life but there is no requirement to have any knowledge of this to fully understand ‘Times Squared’. If the reader is keen to find it however then it is often available on ebay at around the £30 mark.
August 27, 2021
https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3737787.html
In a previous review I unfairly accused the author of this novel, Rick Cross, of being a pseudonym; in fact he's NASA's senior media writer in the Marshall Space Flight Centre, and this is his first novel.
And it's pretty good. Lieutenant Adrienne Kramer, who later in her own timeline appears in the early Eighth Doctor novel Vampire Science, is Lethbridge-Stewart's liaison in New York where there are basically Yeti in the Metro. But it's a bit more than Web of Fear transplanted to the Big Apple: Lethbridge-Stewart is travelling with his fiancee and nephew, the latter already having a strange connection with the Great Intelligence, and there's a time-travelled version of Professor Travers in the mix as well. Well-written, respectful of its source material and true to its setting; it's a little too closely linked to the first novel in this sequence, The Forgotten Son, to work entirely on its own, but apart from that a good read.
In a previous review I unfairly accused the author of this novel, Rick Cross, of being a pseudonym; in fact he's NASA's senior media writer in the Marshall Space Flight Centre, and this is his first novel.
And it's pretty good. Lieutenant Adrienne Kramer, who later in her own timeline appears in the early Eighth Doctor novel Vampire Science, is Lethbridge-Stewart's liaison in New York where there are basically Yeti in the Metro. But it's a bit more than Web of Fear transplanted to the Big Apple: Lethbridge-Stewart is travelling with his fiancee and nephew, the latter already having a strange connection with the Great Intelligence, and there's a time-travelled version of Professor Travers in the mix as well. Well-written, respectful of its source material and true to its setting; it's a little too closely linked to the first novel in this sequence, The Forgotten Son, to work entirely on its own, but apart from that a good read.
September 23, 2018
Das war doch mal ein wirklich gutes Buch. Vor allem dafür, dass es tatsächlich der erste Roman des Autors ist. Zum Schluss hin wird es zwar etwas schwächer und die Auflösung ist schon eine ziemliche Deus ex Machina, aber insgesamt würde ich fast so weit gehen, dass dies das zweitbeste Buch der Reihe bisher ist.
Außerdem ist es das erste Buch das ich kenne, das eine Post-Credit Szene hat.
Außerdem ist es das erste Buch das ich kenne, das eine Post-Credit Szene hat.
October 26, 2017
Another hit
Superb continuation of the Great Intelligence storyline from the second Doctor era stories and after Forgotten Son, the first book in the series. Moving the action to New York's subway system was logical and contrasts well with Web of Fear. Great story.
Superb continuation of the Great Intelligence storyline from the second Doctor era stories and after Forgotten Son, the first book in the series. Moving the action to New York's subway system was logical and contrasts well with Web of Fear. Great story.
July 9, 2018
Another adventure for the Brigadier
My only regret about this series is that I haven't found a list in reading order. In this episode the Brigadier and his team combat a further manifestation of the Great Intelligence in the New York subway.
My only regret about this series is that I haven't found a list in reading order. In this episode the Brigadier and his team combat a further manifestation of the Great Intelligence in the New York subway.
August 15, 2018
After reading this Lethbridge Stewart is a fascinating read. It’s characters well written and gives an insight to early unit adventures
March 6, 2023
I've liked all the Lethbridge novels that I so far have read. This one is an excellent example of them , good story good characters
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews